Fr. Leo's Spiritual Reflections

By Fr. Leo Schneider (7/26/2009)

Dear People of Holy Name,

“Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them.” (Jn 6:11)

For this Sunday and the next four Sundays we break from Mark’s gospel to use the Bread of Life discourse from John’s gospel. In its context, the narrative of the multiplication of the loaves that we hear today is more than a miracle story. Today’s passage sets the foundation for what we do each Sunday in celebrating the Eucharist. Jesus takes the bread, gives thanks and distributes it to them, the same action we take here today.

We take bread and Eucharist, which means to give thanks, and we eat this bread to be nourished by the power and the presence of God. Jesus is our bread of life, not only for body, but for mind and soul as well. The act of giving thanks to God — the Eucharist, is an expression of gratitude to God whose blessings we have experienced through the week and also a petition to live under his wing in the week to come.

We come on Sunday to commune with God. We bring ourselves, complete with our personal issues, and come to the sacred space of our church, to celebrate a ritual that makes us one with God and his universe. We prepare to hear and receive the Lord in our opening rites, and then the Liturgy of the Word is a time of listening and contemplation. In the personal space carved out by ritual, we let the Word speak to us in our own particular place in life’s journey.

The Word of God is to touch us as Jesus touched the people of his day. Our inspiration, our hope and our healing come from him. The Holy Spirit is always present in our gathering, and when we break the word of our lives together as a community the presence of God is made real. What we do at the altar is continued in our gathering after mass and in our encounters during the week.

It helps me immensely when we share our faith together at mass and also when we gather in our Lenten small groups to break open the Word. Hearing what struck other people in the scripture and how it speaks to them, inspires me as new ideas and awareness come into my consciousness. Such sharing is rich for me and makes God’s presence in my life and in the community tangible.

When we celebrate Eucharist we celebrate the presence of God that is, as St. Paul writes, “Over all and through all and in all.” The Eucharist is one moment of the week in which we express the undergirding reality of our day to day lives. To give God thanks is to be aware of his presence and all he does for us, from family and friends, to health and food. To be aware of God’s presence is itself a gift and an expression of our unity, our communion, with God.

We are a Eucharistic people, we become what we celebrate, the presence of God. Through grace we live in God and God lives in us. This is the profound reality of our lives and what we proclaim, make present, and grow in, at every Eucharistic gathering. To celebrate Eucharist is itself a blessing and let us pray that through our prayer together each of us may come to know the Christ who feeds us and heals all our ills. With this faith let us pray in thanksgiving for each other and may God’s abundant blessings be ours in the Spirit we share!

In Christ’s peace, Fr. Leo